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Guthrie snaps winless streak in Royals’ 7-2 win

By WTOP Staff

JOHN JACKSON
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Jeremy Guthrie was pleased with the way he was pitching over the previous two months. He just didn’t have anything to show for it.

He wasn’t happy with much of his performance Friday night, but it was good enough to snap an 11-game winless streak.

Lorenzo Cain had a two-run double to highlight a five-run first inning, Guthrie pitched into the sixth inning and the Kansas City Royals extended their winning streak to five games with a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

“Baseball is a very funny game,” Guthrie said. “This is a very ironic way to pick up a win after a long stretch — not pitch very well, not pitch too deep in the game, but do enough to help the team win.”

Guthrie (3-6) allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2-3 innings. Before Friday, he had gone at least seven innings in four of his last five games. His last win was on April 9, against Tampa Bay.

“This is probably the worst game he’s had in this streak,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

The right-hander had pitched well enough to win on several occasions, but received the lowest run support in the AL (2.59) during that span.

That wasn’t an issue Friday.

Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler each had two RBIs, including a run-scoring single in the first inning, for Kansas City.

Jose Quintana (3-7) never recovered from the slow start, allowing six runs and eight hits in six innings.

Jose Abreu went 1 for 4 with an RBI for the White Sox.

The Royals staked Guthrie to a five-run lead before he took the mound.

The first four batters — Nori Aoki, Omar Infante, Hosmer and Butler — all singled to make it 2-0 and fifth-place hitter Alex Gordon followed with a double to right field to make it 3-0.

After Quintana struck out Salvador Perez for the first out of the game, Cain stroked a double to left to drive in two more and made it 5-0.

“In the past Q’s always been a little slow coming out of the first inning,” Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. “But they were swinging it. They barreled him up and it happened fast.”

The White Sox got a run back in the bottom of the first on a sacrifice fly by Abreu. The Royals got it back in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by Hosmer.

Chicago loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom half of the inning as Alexei Ramirez and Dayan Viciedo singled and Alejandro De Aza walked, but the White Sox pushed across just one run — on a walk to Adam Eaton — to make it 6-2.

“I didn’t come out aggressive enough,” Guthrie said. “A couple of walks and I loaded the bases in the second. I was very fortunate to get out of the first two innings with just a couple of runs and then I was able to settle down down the stretch.”

Guthrie struck out Tyler Flowers with no outs and then struck out Gordon Beckham with one out following the walk to Eaton. Conor Gillaspie then flied out to center to end the inning.

The starters then settled down and neither team scored over the next four innings.

“He was at 74 pitches through three and I was like, ‘OK, if you can just get us through five with the lead, that’s going to be a heck of a job,'” Brewers manager Ned Yost said of Guthrie. “He ended up throwing 14 pitches in the fourth inning, six pitches in the fifth and got two outs in the sixth.”

Kansas City added a run in the seventh on Hosmer’s run-scoring single to make it 7-2.

NOTES: Royals SS Alcides Escobar left the game in the eighth inning with a cramp in the left calf. “If he feels tightness tomorrow, we’ll probably give him the day off,” Yost said. .The White Sox have signed RHP Henry Rodriguez to a minor league contract. Rodriguez, released by Miami earlier this season, has been assigned to Triple-A Charlotte and will begin on the DL. … The last time LHP Chris Sale had a high pitch count he landed on the DL for a month, but Ventura had no problems with the Chicago ace throwing 116 on Thursday. “He felt great going there and he didn’t have that inning where he really had to fight through it and battle,” Ventura said. … LHP Danny Duffy (3-5) takes on RHP Hector Noesi (2-4) in the second game of the series Saturday.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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